Aoshi, My Love
by dinoninjafunness
Summary: What exactly are Aoshi's true intentions of taking Misao into the woods with him?     I do not own anything of Rurouni Kenshin. Thank you Watsuki for having an amazing imagination.  M for later chapters- starting at 6
1. Aoshi, My Love

Aoshi, My Love

Misao sat in the window sill of her room, sporting her favorite blue ninja suit. The sun was high, blazing down on her face - not that she minded. She loved the feeling of the rays wrapping around her, the light breeze caressing her as she soaked it all in. "Basking like a cat" is what she called it. Misao chuckled, remembering all the times people had walked into her room, only to find her curled up in a ball, much like a cat - or a weasel - on the sunny spot of her floor. They'd always make a big deal out of it – especially the girls; they all said it was unladylike. There was only one person who understood why she did it.

"Aoshi-sama," Misao swooningly answered her statement aloud. Just saying his name made her lips tingle; hearing it made her feel incredible. As if just saying his name would summon him, and he would keep her safely by his side. She knocked her head back against the window frame. "I wonder what he's doing…" she said, as she closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on her eyelids too.

At first, everything was black, with light slowly pouring in so that she could make out a forest. Misao started to shade her eyes, but quickly realized that there was a dark figure blocking her from the sun's blinding light. She waited.

_A rock? No… maybe a tree sapling?_ She thought. "Argh! Stupid eyes- hurry it up with the seeing business!"

Misao lost her patience quickly, and started vigorously rubbing and pounding her eyes. When she realized that was only making things worse, her frustration got the best of her - and she started punching the mysterious sun-block. Only after her second hit did she realize it was soft and yielding.

_Clothes? s_he wondered. _Great, what the hell did I just get myself into?_

Misao left her hand on the man - woman? She wasn't sure. So, she started raising her hand up the body, waiting until she hit either boobs or broad shoulders. Her arm was almost completely extended when she finally hit shoulders.

_No boobs, super tall? Gotta be a dude... _

"It isn't smart to run your hand along a body you don't know." That voice. "Not only could it be some pervert, but-" Misao looked up, wide-eyed, as he talked. "- you're also left completely defenseless..."  
>She was so overcome with joy that all she could do was stand and stare as her eyes seemed to adjust more with each word he spoke. Every phrase brought a feature into clearer view. "Honestly," he started. Her eyes caught sight of his broad shoulders and giant collared white coat… "Haven't you," Now his clothes, and his partially covered neck…"Learned <em>anything,<em>" The sheathed sword around his waist, fingerless gloves… "From the Oniwabanshu?" His angular face - terrifying, hard, but the softest eyes in the world when he spoke to her.

"Aoshi-sama!" was all Misao could let out in her joyous sigh.

Before she could register the man she adored standing there, in front of her, in a mysterious forest she had randomly appeared in, and he was _mocking_ her; he grabbed her hand and whispered, "It's time to run!"

Misao followed him without question as he guided her by the wrist. It was amazing to feel the nature rushing past her as they ran. They may have been running from a dangerous something - or some_one_ - she didn't know. She didn't even care. All Misao knew, and cared about, was that she was chasing after him. And not like she had done for so long, eventually leading to bumping into Kenshin. No - this time he _wanted_ her by his side. Misao smiled, but it soon faded.

_He's got more stamina than me, what if he's just wearing me out? He'll lead me somewhere safe, I'll be exhausted, and he'll keep running...! Or, he'll stay with me! …until I'm asleep and vanish into the night! AGAIN! _After so long, he still didn't want her. She couldn't believe it...

Bile began to collect in her throat, her heart starting to pound even more furiously than before. Misao could feel her panic through every inch of her body. It grew, collected, and festered as they ran on. She tried to hold it in, she really did, but the forest was growing dark, she was losing sight of him. Still, she chased, persisted. Misao would always chase Aoshi - follow him where ever he went. Unless he truly didn't want her?

"No!" Misao screamed. As she did, she grabbed the arm that held her by the wrist, and stopped dead in her tracks. Aoshi didn't realize at first, so caught up in the run that he pulled Misao down to her knees before he managed to stop. "You're gonna leave me again!" Misao looked at him as she was on the brink of tears. "You - You'll tire me out, and let me sleep, and WALK AWAY - _JUST_ like last time. Well, you may have been planning on it-" Her grip on his arm tightened- "but I won't let you! I don't want to be left alone again, Aoshi!" After all her shouting, Misao sobbed, slowly losing her voice. "It's not fair..." was all she could whimper.

Aoshi bent down to his knees so he was almost at eye-level with her. "Misao," he spoke softly, more so than she'd ever heard anyone speak. "I won't leave you." He sat down, and gently took his arm from her grip, and placed each of her hands in his own. "When you were a child - I couldn't stand to see you cry. If anyone gave you trouble, I had to work hard not to slice off their various body parts. I hated to leave you, but knew I had to, so you'd be safe. When they died," there was no need to mention their names; Misao held them as close to her heart as he did. "I was, yes, overcome with rage and desperately wanted to avenge them. But things happened, you know that story. And _you_ pulled me out of my insanity. When Kenshin told me you shed tears at the thought of me returning, knowing that you needed me saved me. Misao, you've grown up - and as you've grown and matured, so has my love for you. I've realized...my life would be horrible without you. You-"

Misao burst out; "Then _why_ leave me?"

He grasped her hands tighter. "Let me finish, please." She could only nod, too preoccupied with how warm his hands were. Aoshi continued, "You are the reason I can sleep peacefully; the reason I don't feel my pains. Your smile is my safety, my source of happiness. You are the reason my heart beats, the one who leaves me gasping for breath. You, Misao, my love, have opened my eyes and taught me to see the world in colors I didn't know existed; made me speak things that have no words, and give me reason to sing songs, some of which I never knew had melodies." Aoshi smirked at his last remark, a small attempt at humor, and Misao let out a humored sigh, slightly relieved to have a joke within all of the serious and amazing things he was telling her. It didn't take long for the comedic relief to wear off, though. "I'm running though this forest aimlessly, Misao. But I don't care! Because you're running with me. I don't care where life takes me - because I know you'll be right there, by my side...and in my arms."

And before she had time to react, Aoshi pulled her to him with all his might; wrapping one arm around her waist and the other pressing her head to his chest. Misao could hear his heartbeat pounding in his chest, yet it wasn't anywhere near as fast as hers. She closed her eyes, reveling in his warmth.

_He's so warm...it feels like the sun is wrapped around me... _she thought.

Aoshi kissed the top of her head, and stopped to smell her hair right before he said, "Misao, I will always, and forever, lo- **SQUAWK**!"

"Whu-WHA-?" Misao practically jumped out of her own skin when the bird perched on her knee, waking her from her catnap in the window sill. At least, she _was_ in the window. Instead of jumping out of her own flesh, she fell out of the window, headfirst, onto her bedroom floor. "STUPID BIRD!" She yelled furiously, running back to the window and shaking her fist at the bird, already far away in the sky. "Now _my_ arm hurts from trying to hurt _you_! Get. BACK. **HEEEERE!**"

"You shouldn't yell at an animal for waking you up when I was about to do the same thing."

Misao stopped her spazzing, and spun around to see Aoshi in her doorway. Immediately, she blushed and stubbornly stated, "Yeah, well...SHADDAP!" If he'd known the dream, he would have known that her real frustration was knowing that he would never say those things to her - not that obviously at least. _I'll just have to listen more closely. _

Aoshi only gave a hint of a smile and replied, "You're going to Tokyo with me. Get ready - we leave in ten." then walked away.

Misao, shocked at first by his abrupt order, smiled, still blushing, and whispered to herself, "I love you too, Aoshi-sama."

******A/N-** so! dyou like it? I hope you liked it ! This was originally going to be a oneshot.. but.. I have lots of ideas for more and i've gotten a request to do more.. so.. if i get some reviews- id be more than happy to! (if i dont, i'll probably work on another chapter anyway, but less happily. dont you want me to be happy ? :D?) right.. well.. anywho! please review and comment and critique and all that nice stuff~! itd mean a lot to me so.. thanks! :)


	2. In the Woods

In the Woods

And the chase was on. Aoshi was amazed at her prowess. Though she was behind him, he could still feel every shift she made, could hear every step she took - barely, but enough. Just barely enough.

_She's trained. Quite impressive for seventeen. _

Misao followed right in his footsteps, making sure to keep up with him - it was obvious that he was faster, and so it was his job to catch the burglar. Then again, if someone didn't do something soon - a week's worth of food was at stake.

"Aoshi-sama," she called out. "It's getting away! DO something!" His only reply was to continue running. "FINE! I'll do it myself!"

Misao concentrated all the energy she had to catch up to it, a blur in the near distance. The white sack was tied closed at the top by a rope, and said rope was being pulled along, bouncing and changing course with each dent in the dirt, each tall patch of grass. Even though they couldn't see who was pulling the rope, that didn't matter. All they needed was food - not revenge for petty theft.

_No mistakes,_ she thought. As her sprint started, she could feel the grass tickling her ankles, wind blowing back her bangs, which had escaped the loosely tied braid holding the rest of her hair. And now she could hear the footsteps of the food thief. _Almost there._ Misao ran faster than she ever had; and what an amazing feeling it was! It had been so long since she had chased anything through the forest for _any_ reason, that Misao forgot the rush of going fast, of nature working against her, but still yielding to her will. She gave a small smirk as she was about to catch the thief, but realized - _The footsteps, they've stopped! Where is the_-

She took a glance back, and there was the bag - safely at Aoshi's motionless feet.

"OH! Well that's just -"

Misao's sentence was cut short by her tripping over an overgrown tree root. Down she fell, tripping then skidding then sliding and finally rolling down the hill. Thankfully, the hill was not that big; she only rolled a bit. What she was happiest about was her landing; belly down, arms and legs spread, _right_ into a soft patch of warm, bright, thick, green grass. Her first notion was to sleep, bask in the sun, until she realized that feet were right there in front of her. Misao tried to catch her breath, but she was so mesmerized by the sun shining so perfectly upon him that it was hard to speak. As she lay there, her courage finally gathered, and she spoke the purest and simplest thing one could say in his presence...

"KITTY!" Misao sprang up, sweeping the frazzled, sun-baked kitten that she hand landed at the paws of. He squeaked a tiny meow in her arms, and she cooed; rubbing his belly, scratching behind the ears, and then plopped the little thing onto the ground to play with. Misao rolled onto her back and the kitten would pounce, clawing at her loose hair. When she realized her long braid was the perfect toy for her new companion, she rolled onto her hands and knees, and let her braid sway. The fuzzball flopped onto his back, and started to swat at the new plaything. Misao imitated him, laughing to relieve the intense cuteness of it all, by lifting her left hand, clawing it, and with a slight flick of the wrist, started pawing at the air. The grassy patch was warm and soft, Misao found an _adorable_ new friend to play with, and the food was safely with Aoshi.

_I could stay here all day~_

Aoshi grabbed the bag at his feet, sighing in the process. He murmured to the surrounding nature, "She's been training...but not enough." _I can only assume she knows how to catch herself._

The air was still as he listened for her - any moans of pain, or screams of shock. But there was nothing. Just chirps of birds and rustles of wind-strewn leaves.

_Nothing, not a peep. She's fine, then._ His eyes widened with a startling realization. _Or she isn't. She may be unconscious. Well...that's not that bad_.

He relaxed and took a step forward.

_Unless, _he stopped. _She landed unconscious on sharp rocks_- Aoshi stepped livelier -_or in a bed of snakes._ He hastened. _Or surrounded by a bunch of punks who are-_

Aoshi continued in imagery- envisioning an unconscious Misao being undressed by a _sleazy_ man who had trapped her in a _sleazy_ cove while his _sleazy_ friends watched, and waited for their turn to have some _sleazy _fun with her.

Now he was running. _Dammit, Misao! Why didn't you train HARDER_! And with that thought, he broke into a full sprint down the hill.

"I'm starting to sweat quite a bit," Misao told the kitten. "I'm gonna roll up the shorts a bit more and fold up the shirt. That way, my back and belly can cool off." She smiled at him, and the only acknowledgement she got was a confused look from the kitten, who was still busy catching her braid. Misao decided to pretend the cat was speaking her thoughts, so she could reason with herself aloud. "You're right, if Aoshi-sama saw me like that he'd be so disgusted that he'd just up and leave me here with you and never look back. Buuut...it _is_ lunchtime, and he _does_ have the food... He's probably eating! Sooo - time to cool off!" She happily drew her conclusion, modified her clothing, and went right back to imitating the kitten, as happy and comfortable as can be.

Ready to leap into battle, Aoshi saw the blue outline of Misao's body, and stopped in his tracks. She was okay. Nothing was wrong- simply 'basking', as she always put it. He breathed in relief and started to approach, when he heard a kitten's mew.

_Basking like a cat _with_ a cat, eh? Well, can't ruin her fun, can I? Let's see if she can detect me before I grab the kitten._

Aoshi walked silently, not even the grass he stepped on made noise. He was so close, at the very edge of the thicker grass patch she was kneeling on. He could so easily grab the kitten- or anyhing!

_The cat, her foot, leg, arm, hair, her ass - wait, wait, what? Where did _that _come from?_

Aoshi looked at Misao. Only her back side was visible, but she turned ever so slightly when she meowed and swatted, clawing at the air, so that he could see not only her barely covered ass, but her bare midsection and all the curves that led up to her head, too. Just barely. Barely wasn't enough, though. Aoshi started to panic internally.

_I should not be thinking these thoughts. I'm her mentor, her protector, and nothing more._ _Though nothing less either._ Aoshi still couldn't draw his eyes away from her round, scarcely concealed bottom. The folds in her shorts made it look even nicer - even more grabable, which he knew would be an easy task if he so chose. His fingers twitched at his side from the thought, but quickly subdued it, simply blushing from his inexplicable urges. That was it. He couldn't stand there anymore. But what to do? He knew he couldn't move, because if he wasn't able to control his thoughts, there was no _way_ to restrain the actions that went with them.

For once, Aoshi felt completely at a loss. So, like any other man in a provocative and awkward situation with a woman, he coughed.

The kitten jumped up and faced the newcomer with an arched back and fur standing straight. Misao did much of the same, with the exception of no fur. Once she realized who it was, though, she blushed and became flustered, allowing herself to be more moderately dressed than before. Which meant that her shorts were unrolled and her stomach was hidden once again. But, and luckily for them both, she did it so fast that Aoshi didn't even have the time to worry about commenting on it. Seeing her so flustered _did_ steady his mind - this being the Misao he's used to. As she yelled at him for spying, and then for scaring the kitten and having her trip down a hill because he didn't react quick enough, Aoshi merely smiled - barely. But barely was she eventually grabbed the fuzzball and stood up to inflict pain on Aoshi while she scolded, he grabbed her clenched wrist.

Looking directly into her blue eyes, whispered to her "I'm glad you aren't hurt. Train more,  
>he stopped as if to collect a thought, then followed with,"Now, what will we name our new companion?"<p>

END~

**A/N**: I hope you enjoyed reading! heheh- this was fun to write... and thanks to Night of the Shadow for helping~ (she's a great editor- just fyi.. and also an amazing writer) Honestly, I didn't consciously mean to do it, but my favorite part of writing this was the use of "enough/just barely enough/ not enough". I'm not sure why- it just was. I can probably continue on with this- if those reading would like me to do so! but I BEG OF YOU review this! suggestions and criticism are more than welcome- its wanted! so.. yeah.. if you wanna see more- review. :3 buhbai for now~


	3. Trust

After Misao's tumble, they had taken the rest of the day to train. Aoshi worked her to the bone - rolling, diving, how to land falling from different heights, and of course, kunai target practice. Her back ached from all of her incorrect landings from treetops to forest floor. Aoshi didn't even seem to care! And that's what irked her the most. When she was young, he at least gave her a bit of compassion during training...

"Go!" She heard Aoshi's command to leap from the branch she was perched on, and complied. Misao's back was so strained, she couldn't take it anymore. She knew Aoshi would never allow her to fall flat on the unforgiving earth; he'd catch her. And, as Aoshi witnessed her tiny body go limp in mid-fall, he ran over to the landing point and caught the girl in his strong arms, with barely any effort. And he was furious. "What was that, Misao?"

Even as his voice remained in monotone, the rage in his eyes rivaled even those of the Battousai. It sent chills down her spine, and even in his muscular arms, Misao knew her back-aches were now the least of her worries.

"I'm just so tired…my back..." She stuttered to give an explanation for her laziness. "I just didn't../I- uhh..." Her heart was pounding, though not from his touch, but because Misao had never seen him so angry with her before. "Th-thank you, Aoshi-sama – f-f-for catching me," She gave a weak forced smile. "I can always trust you to catch me when I fall, huh?"

"Trust?" Aoshi whispered through his teeth, setting Misao upright on the ground. He could tell she was scared, but he needed to get this message through. "_Trust_, Misao, is a great asset, but an even worse weakness!"

He was almost shouting. Shouting! _When had he ever...? _she allowed the thought to trail off in the face of his seething anger.

"Now, you may be able to trust me, but one day I might not be there. You could be vulnerable - he'll play your weaknesses and after only a few weeks, you trust him." Aoshi calmed his voice, but it still held notes of animation.

Misao's eyes softened to match his voice, but confusion lingered as earnest listening took over. Silence followed Aoshi's words, not even the animals of the forest could be heard rustling about in the distance. He saw she was paying attention now, but needed his hypothetical lesson to stick. As his monotone returned, his eyes softened, and he gently grabbed hold of Misao's shoulders.

"Little did you know, he was leading you to a trap. Perhaps his goons captured you both - demanding something you couldn't give. Perhaps they locked you somewhere, took your weapons, and with what seems like the last night of two young lives, he does this-" – Aoshi swiftly kicked Misao's heels from under her, and took on her nearly non-existent weight into his arms, and layed her on her back. "- and tells you, 'I love you. You mean more to me than life and death itself.'"

Aoshi and Misao's noses almost touched, and his muscular body covered her petite frame. His hands pinned her wrists to the ground, knees keeping her legs together. Even if Misao tried to move, his grip would not allow it. That didn't matter, her heart beat too fast, and her head was reeling too much at the current situation to even try to regain bodily control. His voice and eyes, so soft, so gentle, as he spoke.

"'You are my life' he would say. 'And without you, I am dead. I belong to you, just as you do to me'" While speaking, Aoshi used his left knee to part Misao's legs. He lowered himself onto her, and pulled on the sashes near her bust open with his teeth. It sagged open a bit, just enough to reveal a hint of cleavage ._I'm only doing this to prove my lesson. Do _NOT_ get carried away!_ He thought.

By now, Misao's entire face was doused in a wash of red, her breathing was coarse, panting softly, but otherwise silent. No one spoke for a few seconds, yet it felt as if an eternity had passed. Aoshi broke the silence.

"And he takes something from you that you'll never get back, and then leaves you. It turns out; he was the head of this scheme the whole time. Now you're trapped, defenseless, and in shock, all while facing death. All because of some short earned,_ weakly-_earned trust. And what do you do, Misao?"

They stared into each others' eyes, neither of them so much as twitching. Misao's mind was racing, so many emotions danced in her eyes. She bit her bottom lip, deep in thought over the whole situation. Finally, she spoke, softly, stuttering, but audibly. "Th-The cat... I named him Kuzon."

* * *

><p>**AN- Yes, I know, this is kind of short... But! I don't care. :3 Though I /do/ care to know if you enjoyed it or not. So.. how bout leavin' a review, eh? C'moooon you know you want to~ ;D till next time...

OH and again, I praise you, Night of The Shadow. You are amazing (heart heart heart) just sayin'.

If you like just about anything, go look at her stories. She's covered so many shows. It is incredible (in my opinion, at least). I'm just gonna stick to my RuroKen stuff thankyou very much! 3


	4. Thunder

"Th-the cat... I named him Kuzon."

Her face reddened even more, if possible, and she gulped, awaiting his response. Aoshi's lip twitched, as if he were holding back a smirk. _There is no one else like her..._

Gently, he sighed, releasing her body from his own. He stood, grabbed the sack of food hidden in the bushes, and monotonously said, "Let's go, Misao. That's enough for today."

She bounced up, following a few paces behind silently, and repeatedly thought, _it was just a lesson. He didn't mean those things. Don't get carried away! Damn…_

Aoshi walked along, remembering how good the heat of her body felt against his own. His eyes wandered, and he was glad she couldn't see them, because he was almost certain they would tell her that he never wanted to let go…

Kuzon, Misao, and Aoshi walked single file through the forest; tallest to shortest with Aoshi in the lead as always. The sun was high in the sky, not that anyone could tell - it was so overcast that Misao wouldn't be surprised if birds got lost flying in the thick blackish-grey storm clouds. She wanted to ask if there was somewhere Aoshi knew to go for shelter.

_Maybe a cave is close by,_ she thought. _A cave! Ooooh! That'd be perfect. All alone in a dark cave with my Aoshi-sama...I could pretend to trip over a rock right into his arms~!_ Misao swooned at the idea of feeling his body pressed against hers again. _Okay, so my thoughts have been a little..._naughty_ since that 'trust' lesson earlier, but I can't help it! He's so - _her face blushed as images of his lean, muscular body atop hers. All of him againstall of her…

_Aoshi-sama!_ Her mix of embarrassment, swooning, and lust, wouldn't allow her to finish her thoughts of things pertaining to below the waist.

_It's only _slightly_ drizzling, so there's really no haste to ask about shelter. Although there is a lot of thunder rumbling in the distance, and it's getting pretty close…_

"Aoshi-sama?" Misao's timid request for the stoic man's attention broke their five-hour long silent trek.

"Aa?" He responded.

"This storm looks like it's gonna be pretty bad...shouldn't we find some shelter for the night?"

Aoshi had already been leading them to a town with a nice little inn, rumored to serve some very great tea. "We're here." He said, as he pushed aside a bush to reveal a quaint town, with all the people hustling about to get their various animals, children, and food out of the street before the storm grew, for it had just started to rain fairly hard.

Aoshi pointed at the inn, and Misao gave an affirming nod while picking up Kuzon, so as not to lose him in all the commotion. As if the clouds had been waiting for them to enter the town, the sky became even darker, rain came down in buckets, and lightning started flashing, bouncing across the sky. They quickened their strides as the rain began to pelt them faster and harder. Misao protected Kuzon under her wing and used her other hand to shield her face, mimicking Aoshi as he ran toward the wooden door before them.

As soon as they approached the front desk, sopping and panting heavily, the host informed them that there was only one room available until tomorrow, but seeing as how they needed the room for this night – and even more possibly the next if this storm didn't let up – it was delegated that the three should share the room. Aoshi sighed, rubbed his brow, and paid for the room tonight. He could sense Misao's rising excitement at the thought of sharing a room with him, but quickly quelled quietly animated enthusiasm.

"Misao, I will sleep outside the room. You may sleep inside."

He really should have known better.

Once the day had been finished, and it was time to retire to the room – or the hallway, as in Aoshi's case - Misao simply grabbed the blanket from the futon and sat outside the door beside Aoshi. For about an hour they sat there in silence, Aoshi hoping she would give up and go lay down in the room properly and comfortably, and Misao hoping he would realize soon that there was no way she would budge from her spot unless he came with her. Finally, Aoshi conceded with another sigh, sliding the door to the room open, and leading a smiling Misao in.

Thunder and lightning roared as the two of them laid on opposite ends of the room. Aoshi looked out the window, hands behind his head, feet hanging off the too small bedding the staff had brought in for him. Misao turned her back to Aoshi, sleeping peacefully. Or, so he thought. Had he been paying any attention to her sleeping figure, Aoshi would have noticed her flinch severely at every crack of thunder. Alas, Kuzon had taken a liking to him, and slept on the left side of his pillow, preventing him from seeing her.

The storm only worsened as the night wore on, and with a flash of lightning so bright it illuminated the room as if it were really the day, both Kuzon and Misao sat straight up. With the accompanying thunder being as loud as having a giant firework going off in one's ear, the cat jumped away and ran under the blankets, and Misao jumped up and ran to Aoshi, stopping just before his bed. Fear - pure fear was situated in Misao's glowing blue eyes; the light of the moon only making them shine more. She stared at him, trembling and on the brink of tears.

"A-Aoshi-s-samaa…I'm, I'm r-really afraid of-" another boom of thunder, she squealed uncharacteristically, trembling even worse than before, and tried to steady her voice enough to continue.

It was putting a wrench through Aoshi's heart to see her like this, even if he didn't openly show it. He sat up, ready to do anything and everything for her to settle down. He'd even try to go push the storm clouds somewhere else if it made her stop whimpering.

"C-can…Can I sleep closer to you? It'd…it'd make me feel a little bit better. B-but if you don't want me to that's fine!" Misao backpedaled on her request, afraid that he would be annoyed with her whining. She closed her eyes tight, preparing herself for the next booming thunder after the lightning that had just flashed.

As the thunder bellowed, Aoshi's arms were suddenly around Misao, trapping her in a tight embrace.

He whispered in her ear, "You can always trust me, Misao. I'd guard you with my life"

With that, Misao relaxed, and accidentally started to stain the shoulder of his yukata with her tears. She just couldn't help herself. She felt so safe, so good, in his arms that it was overwhelming. Aoshi laid back again, this time pulling her with him. She rested her head between his chest and shoulder, legs curled against his, her arm across him. She nuzzled her head in just a bit more, reveling in his warm, musky smell. She couldn't believe where she was, but it had to be true, because without Aoshi right there, his hand gently resting on her head, she would have screamed at the next two even larger growls of thunder.

_His heartbeat is so steady, it's really soothing... He'd 'guard me with his life,' but he always has. I guess my Aoshi-sama will never think of me as more than the little girl he trained and raised. Oh well, I'll just have to keep trying. _Misao yawned, an exhausted sound escaping her throat. _Huh, I didn't realize I was this tired...training today must've been harder than I thought - even though my back doesn't hurt anymore,_ she thought, quietly drifting to sleep.

Slipping into unconsciousness himself, the last thing Aoshi heard that night wasn't thunder or rain or even the other guests talking on the floor below them, but a relieved sigh whispered next to him.

"Aoshi-sama~"

And then both were asleep.

**A/N**- how was it? I hope you liked this chapter~ there's usually one thing pertaining to me in each chapter (like in this one- I am very afraid of thunder. You'd think that living in Alabama and Mississippi for the first 5 years of your life would break you of that, huh? Oh well!) also- to any of you that read this before, sorry- my computer glitched and didn't save my edited version ^_^" /this/ is the version that was supposed to go up! Hahaha :)


	5. Kuzon

Everyone stared as the trio walked down the mud-filled street. Misao couldn't control her giggling, she hadn't been able to since this morning. It was afternoon now, and Aoshi was losing hope of remedying the situation. Misao stared at Aoshi even more than the strangers they passed.

_It's just too cute! _So_ adorable!_

She remembered waking up the morning after the storm with Aoshi meditating. Kuzon had been staring at the still body for who knows how long before she had woken up. It was quite a scene. The sun was just rising; the beams of light bursting through the window, illuminating Aoshi's face and making his sharp features seem kinder. He was completely motionless, and looked so at peace that it would have made Buddha himself cry. And then there was this tiny little kitten staring up at him. Kuzon's grey fur shimmered in the sunlight, as he held his head high, tail twitching and ears perked. Misao sat up in the futon, amazed at the serenity of the scene. That was, until Kuzon made his move.

In a blur, the cat went from curiously staring as he sat on the floor, to on top of Aoshi's head clawing at the bangs that hung over his eyes. Aoshi woke from his meditative daze, only to feel a sharp claw into both his eyelids at once, and fell straight on his back from shock. The kitten wasn't fazed, but Misao giggled and ran to his aid.

"Hee hee! Aoshi-sama?" Her voice was playful with each giggle, but managed to switch to pure concern otherwise. "Hahaha - is there anything I can get for you? Heeeheehee... Here, let me get Kuzon off of you."

Aoshi remained still, eyes shut, but it was clear that he was none too pleased about the current situation. Misao gently grabbed the kitten under his belly, and cradled him in her arms. Aoshi stood up, quietly thanking Misao as she put the cat down. No sooner did Kuzon leave Misao's grasp did he scurry and climb up the tall figure's back, sitting perched atop his head, as if it were only the most natural thing to do.

Misao giggled more, trying not to let Aoshi hear, but was completely unsuccessful. They tried desperately to get the gray bundle of fur uprooted from the patch of soft black hair, but nothing seemed to work. Any treats they tried to give him he would either ignore or get down to eat then climb right back up, clawing anything standing in his way. Aoshi would try to pull him off, but Kuzon would furiously bite and claw at his hands, which was why he now walked the streets with bandages covering him from his wrists down. So with slight awkwardness, they left the inn to go retrieve a few supplies and then head back into the forest.

The store clerk had no reserves at laughing and making fun of Aoshi's predicament as he handed over the ordered things, but Aoshi only took it in stride, hoping the man would accidentally look into his fierce green eyes and see that it wasn't a topic for discussion. Which finally the old man did; and his laughter turned into a shallow whimper, then silence. He also offered the supplies at half price for being such a jerk, but Aoshi, being the man that he was, paid full price anyway.

Misao skipped gleefully next to her favorite men, and before she realized, they were back in the woods and away from the curious stares of townspeople that had been boring into Aoshi's - and Kuzon's - back as they walked through the bushes. The two were relieved, sagging their respective shoulders. Misao was oblivious.

After missing about a day's time, Misao decided that sprinting for a few hours would be good training, exercise, fun - and a testament to Kuzon's ability to hang on (and being able to see how much annoyance Aoshi can take before throwing the cat up a tree.) She started running, happy to feel the wind working against her and the mud splashing up her legs. Aoshi chose a tree route instead, hopping from branch to branch as he watched the tiny blue-clad girl run.

_This is good training for her. It isn't often that one has the opportunity to run in such conditions. In an area where thieves could be used to working in this kind of situation, it is dangerous for her not to know._

As Aoshi surveyed and thought, he suddenly felt a trickle of blood rolling down his cheek. Carefully, he tried prying the kitten from him, but again to no avail. Kuzon had his claws dug into Aoshi's skull deep. His fur was straight and it even looked like his wind-burnt face had lost some color, his _whiskers_ even drooped. It was making Aoshi bleed all over his face, and down his neck, staining his favorite white coat. He dropped down in front of Misao, who skidded to a halt, only to splash more mud all over his body. Even Kuzon was covered with it. She impishly apologized, and offered to clean him off, but jumped when she saw blood all over his face and neck.

"Aoshi-sama! What happened?" There was genuine concern in her eyes that absolutely melted any frustration he held within him up to that point - which had been a lot. "KUZON! BAD CAT!" She glared at the animal, who looked considerably hurt in return.

"I'm going to bathe and clean my jacket in the river over that way," Aoshi pointed to his right. "It's about a ten minute walk, in case you need me. Please start a fire. I will be back shortly." With those smooth-sounding words, Aoshi walked away from where Misao was, leaving her to watch the blood and mud covered Aoshi, and the equally mud covered cat, walk away.

It had been almost an hour, and Aoshi still hadn't come back. She was beginning to worry. Sitting on one of the two rocks she had found and placed across from each other, Misao threw another twig onto the weak fire, and contemplated if having Kuzon around was really a good idea.

_He seems to bother Aoshi-sama so much. And after making him bleed like that, I'm not so sure it's a good idea to keep him. I can't let my Aoshi-sama suffer just for a kitten._ She thought, blushing at the fact that she so easily referred to him as _hers_, and began to daydream of her beloved Aoshi.

There was rustling in the bushes and the tree above her, but thought nothing more of it than animals scurrying around.

Aoshi stripped completely, and stepped into the cool, gently flowing water. It came up to his navel, but as the water hit him and molded its path around the lean body, tiny droplets of water speckled his abs and chest. When the sun hit the water, his muscles almost glistened. Kuzon was still on his head, but only now he was curled into a ball, basking and resting. Aoshi had had enough. He quickly sat down and sank to the bottom of the river, taking the cat with him.

_It is time to get off of my head, furball. You have caused enough trouble for one day._ He thought, as he felt the kitten's weight lift off his head.

Aoshi stood back up, grabbed Kuzon and flung him out of the water. Kuzon looked at him, confused, tired and hurt. Staring right into Aoshi's eyes, blazing with anger, Kuzon quirked his head as if to ask, "Why?"

Aoshi took one passing glance at the kitten and simply muttered, "Worthless."

With that, Kuzon walked away. He didn't seem angry or hurt, though, just contemplative.

_But what do I know about cats' facial expressions?_ He thought, trying to calm himself, and continued to bathe.

Kuzon was about to walk over to the friendlier of the two, but stopped when he saw a giant rock hit the girl in the head. He looked up to see a big man in a tree, grinning - probably not from something nice. Misao slumped off the rock she had been sitting on, letting out a tiny breath as she fell unconscious. More men started to walk from the bushes, grabbing the bag that had his fish treats in it, and bound Misao's arms and legs. One of the guys, with long, greasy hair put out the fire. Kuzon decided then and there that his head would be horrible to sleep on, and Aoshi's was much nicer.

The man who had dropped the rock on Misao's head walked over to her, and started feeling her leg. But far more importantly, he saw the same man eating _his_ fish snacks - HIS fish snacks! Kuzon was furious. He needed Aoshi to kick this man's ass. NO ONE takes Kuzon's fish snacks. He picked up the kunai that had landed at his feet when one of the men threw the fish snack bag on the ground, and sprinted back to the river.

Aoshi had just finished getting the mud out of his pants and the blood from his coat when the frazzled gray kitten reappeared with something shiny in its mouth.

"What's this…?" He muttered to Kuzon and took the triangular object from him. His breath caught and eyes widened once he realized that what he held was Misao's kunai, the one she would never drop unless in danger. "Misao!" Aoshi jumped out of the water, threw just his coat and pants on, and sprinted through the trees.

When he arrived to where Misao was tied up and unconscious, the men were drinking and shouting, one of them with his hand on her leg, eating fish. Without a word, Aoshi threw the kunai at him, sending the sleazy man flying backwards, his collar tacked to the tree behind him.

The four other men yelled obscenities and questions of "Who's out there?" in surprise.

Aoshi said nothing. He sprinted behind the closest man, pinched his neck, and he dropped to the floor, paralyzed. When the other three found him, they charged, blindly swinging swords at his face. Aoshi dodged them with ease, punching faces and tripping the one who was drunk.

_These men have no idea what they're doing. Idiots._ Aoshi thought, and by the time his inner monologue was finished, so were the thieves.

All four were lying either unconscious or paralyzed behind him. Aoshi grabbed the bag of supplies, picked up Misao, and walked back to the river, leaving the thief pinned to the tree in complete shock at the man with icy eyes who had just beat his entire gang.

Misao woke up next to the river. Her wrists were sore from the rope that was now sitting in a pile next to her. She gently rubbed the new bump on her head from where the rock hit her, and sat up. Immediately she blushed. Aoshi was in the river, staring into the distance, with the sun making his amazingly sexy abs almost shine. Misao could feel her face redden, and was surprised at how much she wanted to walk over to him and run her hands along his sleek body.

"Sexy, Aoshi-sama..." She murmured.

He turned his head, pretending he hadn't heard her. "Did you say something, Misao?" _That rock must've hit her on the head harder than I had thought..._

Misao collected herself, and asked him what had happened.

"Just thieves." He replied. "I took care of them. Kuzon was the one who told me though."

Misao stifled a laugh. "Kuzon?" she replied. "How did _Kuzon_ tell you anything? He's a cat."

They both turned their attention to the kitten who had just walked over to them after rolling around in a pile of leaves. Kuzon jumped on Aoshi's outstretched hand, climbed up his arm and plopped himself back in the soft patch of hair, purring as he attempted to nap.

Aoshi sighed, and looked at Misao, only to say- "He's a cat. But not worthless."


	6. Celebrations

**Celebrations**

A week has passed, and the nimble trio arrived in Tokyo, despite the thieves, storms, fears, falls, and fights.  
>They walked down the streets, taking a right and left, turning around at one point after ending up in an ally, trying to remember the way to Kaoru's dojo. They arrived, after an hour of wandering, to warm greetings and smiling faces from Kenshin and Kaoru. Kenshin had been the one who had requested they visit, but wouldn't tell Aoshi why, only that it was very important that they be there. The sun was low, and the breeze tickled Misao's face as she excitedly talked hand-in-hand with Kaoru, catching up on what had happened in the past year.<p>

"Good evening, Himura." Aoshi spoke plainly, despite Kuzon sitting on his shoulder.

Kenshin managed to stifle his laughter, and replied with his usual kind words. "Hello, Aoshi-san. I'm glad you could make it on such short notice. I hope we didn't inconvenience you too badly." Kuzon jumped onto Kenshin's flaming red hair, but neither man flinched.

"It is no bother. But, I would like to know why we were requested."

"Well I can tell you, but not quite yet. Please, come inside and have some tea." Kaoru's eyes danced, as she spoke. It was obvious she was hiding something.

When they walked inside, Yahiko was yelling at a newly returned Yutaro over who won their sparring match, as Tsubame tried to calm them, while Megumi and Tae were setting up a nice array of food and drinks for them all- complimentary of the Akabeko. Aoshi-sama sat down at the table full of food, and Misao quickly joined him. Even though she _wanted_ to go tackle both the little bickering twerps to the ground, she wanted a seat next to Aoshi even more. Kuzon curled up in Misao's lap, and she sat there petting him as he purred, and waited for the others- who had taken Aoshi's queue to find their own seat- to gather around the table heavily loaded with food and sake.

Once everyone had sat, Kaoru and Kenshin stood, and Kenshin spoke, "Ah, excuse me, we called you all for a visit-"

"YOU DIDN'T WIN!"

Yahiko and Yutaro were still arguing, yelling to the point that no one could hear Kenshin, and Tsubame- who was stuck sitting between the two- was visibly upset.

Kaoru's eye twitched in anger. She stomped over to the two, pounding each on the head, and screaming at them, "SHUT UP! It doesn't even matter who won, I could take you both on at once and still beat the crap out of you- and look! You've even upset the one you were trying to impress!"

Yahiko retaliated- albeit with slight blush- while rubbing his sore head.

"HEY, Ugly! YOU interrupted my day so that you could get me here just to YELL at me some more? Hurry up with the 'big news' you've been talking about all week!"

Just before Kaoru could retort with more punches and insults, Kenshin blurted out-

"WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!" His voice lowered, since everyone's eyes turned to him.

"Ah.. That is...the wedding is in two weeks, and we'd love for you all to be there." Kenshin turned to Aoshi and Misao. "If there is anyone who would like to come from the Aoiya, they are more than welcome."

As Kaoru walked back over to her fiance's side, Misao spoke. "Wait... YOU TWO WEREN'T ALREADY MARRIED?" She jumped as she spoke, flinging Kuzon over the table and into Megumi's busom in the process.

As the doctor struggled to detach the kitten, Yutaro and Yahiko started back fighting again, and Kaoru left to break it up again. Kenshin simply sat down, smiling, content with the reaction. Tae and Tsubame set to work on pouring sake for all, except Aoshi, who stuck to his tea. Yutaro and Yahiko settled on a drinking match to 'celebrate the wedding', Kaoru and Megumi talked wedding plans, and Misao spent countless hours on the ground playing with Kuzon, and forcing shy, little, Tsubame to dance with her. By the time the party wore down, two boys and a cat were passed out on the ground, Tsubame, Tae and Megumi, who was staying with Tae, left for their houses, Kaoru and Kenshin had retired to the porch, gazing at the stars hand in hand, and a drunk Misao was left stumbling down the hall to her room, with Aoshi guiding her. Misao giggled, jumped, and skipped her way around Aoshi as he steadily moved forward, ready to catch her from her unbalanced jig.

"Wheee- the floor is in cirrslllssss..."

All of her speech was slurred, and he replied "Aa" no matter what she had said or asked him.

They arrived at her room, and Aoshi stopped. With what little sense the girl had, Misao had noticed him stop, and quit her twirling right in front of him. The moonlight hit her face beautifully. Her eyes sparkled, skin as pale as the moon itself. The reflections made her dark hair look even darker, and the shadows of her now loosely wrapped clothing made her look more sumptuous than before. Aoshi could feel a tingling in his hand- he wanted to hold her.

As if she had read his mind, Misao smiled a weak, sloppy, yet adorable smile, and walked towards him. Within the three feet of distance she had to cover, her incoordination got the best of her, and Misao ended up tripping over her own feet, landing smack into Aoshi's warm, bearing arms.

"Aoshi-sama?" Her voice was perfectly clear now.

"Aa?" His face remained expressionless, but with his arms around her waist, hands resting at the small of her back, he couldn't help but notice how tiny she was, how perfectly she fit there, and how fast his heart was beating from her touch.

"You think of me as a little girl." She pouted her face, but smiled as she continued. "But, I'm not. Can I show you, that I can be... sexy for you?" Misao's voice was like velvet, her glimmering eyes focused on his.

Aoshi didn't reply, but she wasn't waiting for one. Misao stood on her tiptoes, and pulled him down by his neck, so that she could whisper into his ear. Her warm breath so close to Aoshi's face made his own catch, and he could feel her lean body pressed against his, hips somehow aligned, he couldn't have responded or stopped her even if he had wanted to.

"Aoshi..." Misao's voice became coarser, she moaned his name, along with other voweled sounds.  
>Aoshi's entire face widened when he heard her make such sexual sounds.<p>

_She's so young. How does Misao know such noises?_

And yet... he loved hearing her make them. He wanted to be the only one to hear them- the only one to cause them... Aoshi could feel himself hardening, but could control it. He couldn't indulge in her drunken mistakes.

Misao kept groaning, but started to gently nibble on his ear.

It was too much for Aoshi.

He knew she could feel his hardness pressed against her leg.

He knew she liked it.

He knew that he could throw Misao on the bed right through that door and take her, and no one would hear.

He could shove his throbbing cock inside of her and she would make more of those wonderful, sinful, sounds.

But he couldn't; not when she is drunk like this. This was the sake talking, not his Misao.

He sucked in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and painfully pulled her away from him. Misao looked satisfied with her work, she was grinning and biting her lip, hands behind her back, waiting for his reply.

"Well, Aoshi-sama? Whaddya say?"

Aoshi walked past her, continuing on to his room, but stopped, said, "Misao, I haven't thought of you as a little girl in a very long time." and continued on, forcing himself to keep walking; forcing himself to wait to indulge in her till another time- when she was truly ready.

* * *

><p><strong>an**: Sorry it took so long to update! with school starting my imagination and will to write kind of goes 'fwap' ^_^" My first attempt at anything... 'sexual' (every time i write that i hear Elaine Benness - idk bout spelling, shes from seinfeld..- in my head go ''sexuallyyyyyy'' xP) Let me know what you thought! hopefully your thoughts about it are good, but if not- thats okay :) critique is welcome~ till next time! OH and at some point there will be a bonus chapter, i'm not exactly sure when... details to follow later :3


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